


Lifelines

by The_Crafty_Cracker



Series: All about Dick... (Pun intended) [17]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Grayson (Comics)
Genre: Age Swap, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bat Brothers, Bat Family, Batfamily Feels, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Canonical Character Death, Damian is the oldest, Dick Grayson is Robin, Dick is the youngest, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt Dick Grayson, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lex Luthor is a ass, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Older Brothers, Protectiveness, Robin reversal, Selina Kyle is a blessing, The Crime Syndicate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-07 21:52:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13444137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Crafty_Cracker/pseuds/The_Crafty_Cracker
Summary: It takes a couple of seconds for him to process the information but when he does, he can’t stop the tears from pouring out.He understands it all now.Lex needs to stop the bomb to save everyone and the only way to do so is by stopping Robin’s heart.Meaning he has to die.Dick doesn’t want to die.





	Lifelines

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a long time coming people! Like it's been in my writing pile with different amounts written ugh. I would like to thank Milkylane96 for reading it beforehand and also to my wonderful Beta, we've done over 1000 edits to this thing! XD 
> 
> Still probably isn't enough because I have the writing/grammar skills of an unpleasant peanut. 
> 
> Anyway! This is another one of my Robin Reversal fics! They now all have their own series! 
> 
> I was thinking my next big Robin Reversal Au might be either Bad Blood or Batman VS Robin, the latter is looking a bit more alluring at the moment because of Dick already having connections to the Court... I have plans! Speaking of fics, I have another story I'll post eventually that's basically ready, I have fics in-progress and an epic co-author fic in the works, which promises to be the cutest thing ever! 
> 
> Also if you're interested there is an alternate ending to this fic, so depending on how many of you are interested I'll see about posting that. 
> 
> But anyway I really hope you enjoy it!! :D

The first thing Dick realizes when he rouses from unconsciousness is that everything hurt, all the way down to his toes up to his head but he’s not coherent enough to remember exactly why that is yet.

The second thing he realises that he isn’t in the Cave nor his room at the Manor, both the temperature and atmosphere of this place is wrong to either of Dick’s safe places, besides it’s being too quiet, not that the Cave is particularly noisy, unless his brothers and sisters are about, then it’s louder than the Circus! But there is always some background noise going off, like a whispered conversation, a grunt of frustration or even the faint rustling of wings from the Bats that co-inhabit the Cave and then in his room there a clock that ticked, loudly, which tends to lulls him to sleep after particularly hard nights and the creaky window which he refuses to let Alfred or Bruce fix or change because he thinks it’s kind of cool.

He doesn’t open his eyes nor does he make a sound, no matter how much he wants to groan in pain, because he remembers the lessons that both Batman and Nightwing (who _was_ his favourite Batman, just don’t tell Bruce) had drilled into him about gaining as much information about the situation before alerting whoever is nearby that he’s awake, especially if you suspect something is wrong.

The third thing is that he’s not lying down like he first assumed he would be, in fact, he swears he’s vertical and that he’s possibly tied up or something!

And to makes even stranger, the only thing Dick can hear, is a quiet, repetitive, sequence beeping, and he’s not sure what that means either.

Dick mentally sighs, it’s like he’s been kidnapped or somethi-

His eyes snap open and he jerks forwards, though he’s stopped by whatever the restraints he’s been put in. But, he’s unable to contain the whimper of pain, because oh, that hurt.

Suddenly it all clicks!

He remembers it all now!

Owlman! The Crime Syndicate! Oh, and his televised beating…

Luckily though Owlman managed to persuade them not to reveal Robin’s identity somehow, so instead they simply decided to kick the ever-loving crap out of him (Alfred would look at him disapprovingly for using such language, and scold him saying something along the lines of him being too young to use such vulgar language, but he’s eight! He’s a big boy! He’s Robin! And Jason uses language like that all the time, in fact, that’s where he learned it from!) and he’d blacked out somewhere during Ultraman’s assault on his ribs.

Well, at least that explains why he hurts so much

Dick doesn’t know really what to think about the alternate Batman. The man seems a little obsessed with him, the man told him a sob story about his Richard and how he’d lost him, but now that he had Dick he could get his partner back again! Obviously, Dick refused, he’s Batman partner, though he’ll occasionally partner along with his other brothers if needs be. Owlman was unmistakably a bad guy, someone who if Batman and Robin fought on patrol wouldn’t even pause before taking him down and throwing him into Arkham.

However, at the same time, Dick felt a pang of sympathy for him because Owlman had lost his Talon, (that world's version of Robin) he’d lost his partner.

Dick knows firsthand what it’s like to lose a partner, he’d lost _his Batman_ after all.

He tries to think of other things, distract himself from the memory of Damian’s limp, unresponsive, lifeless body as he screamed and begged for his older brother to wake up…

So instead he glances at his surroundings, now that he can remember what happened to lead up to this, he now needs to figure out just what _this_ is! He’s in a basically empty room, on his own, Owlman or the others now nowhere in sight. He was right about being vertical after all, and as it turns out he is also restrained from his collarbone downwards, it seems he’s attached to something.

He looks around him to the best of his ability, which is a particularly hard considering he has limited movements, but he does manage to get at least a one-eighty angle view of the room and looks over his shoulder-

Robin’s eyes widened in at the sight. Oh god, he’s trapped in some kind of machine!

He can help but wonder what the machine is for, most likely some evil plot! Which isn’t going to be good for him.

_‘Robin? Goddamnit! Answer us, you little shit!’_

_‘Baby bird?! You there?’_

That was Jason and Tim! They’re calling for him! (And see, Jason swears all the time) The Crime Syndicate must have left his coms in when they took all his gadgets and weapons of him! Or maybe they just thought because they had restrained him that he wouldn’t be able to communicate with it. Which was a rookie mistake! For starters, the comlinks are trackable and secondly did they seriously think that Batman wouldn’t think of a non-physical way to activate it in case of emergencies? All he had to do was active the voice recognition with the code and then, _bam,_ he’s away.

“Coms override Robin 04,” Dick says clearly. There's a loud beep meaning that he’s been recognized on the systems and a grin manifests on his face. “Guys! I’m here!”

There are two simultaneous, very relieved and happy sighs as his reply.

 _’Oh god, Dickie, don’t scare us like that!’_ Tim says though it’s rushed and a little breathless as if he were moving pretty quickly.

 _‘Are you feeling okay? We saw what the fuckers did to you! They televised the whole thing and kept going even when you’d passed out.’_ Jason asks, concern evident in his voice. He always gets more sweary when he’s angry or worried.

Besides the fact that he hurts everywhere and he’s trapped in a machine, he’s good, well, he’s had worse at least. “I’m okay Jay… I think.”

_‘You think?!’_

“Well, I’m currently attached to come kind of machine…” And there’s a constant beeping that he’s not sure what it means but really that’s not important.

 _‘Fucking hell.’_ Jason swears anxiously.

 _‘We’re going to find you and get you out of there, and then I’m going to kill them all. Don’t worry baby Robin.’_ Tim explains and Dick wonders what his older brothers are both doing at this moment in time. Hopefully, they're somewhere nearby because the strange repetitive beeping was starting to freak him out a little, but, he manages to stay calm by simply listening to his brothers' voices, even if it was Tim threatening mass murder.

 _‘Remember what B said about not harming them, I’m sure that not killing falls into that category as well!’_ Jason points out.

_‘You think I give a shit about following Bruce’s rules?’_

_‘Well, what would Damian think huh?’_ Jason argues back and Dick goes taut at the mentions of his deceased older brother, tears swell up in the corner of his eyes, and tries not to let his brothers hear his sad sniffles.

 _‘Damian?’_ Tim laughs but its a not the warm, joyous ones that Dick’s used to when the prodigal Robin visited, at Dick’s request (read: insistent and constant begging and pleading) for movie nights where they put on an age-appropriate comedy movie which occasionally managed even to get Tim to chuckle, while Jason and Dick spent the whole hour and a half, breathless and rolling on the floor in laughter. The only people who never laughed were Damian and Bruce, but really that was to be expected. No, this laugh was hysterical and dark, which made Dick shiver slightly. ‘ _You think_ **_Damian Wayne_ ** _would let any soul who had even come in contact with_ **_his Robin,_ ** _after all this, survive? No, they would be butchered, slaughtered and then sent to the deepest darkest place in hell. Nothing, no one and nowhere would stop or protect them from his wrath.’_

Dick couldn’t hold it anymore, he misses Damian so much, a single tear slides down the side of his face and he let out a heartbreaking sob.

 _‘Stop talking about D, you’re making Dick cry!’_ Jason berates loudly.

 _‘You brought him up!’_ Tim protests angrily but then calms and lowers his voice. _‘But sorry baby bird, I didn’t mean to upset you.’_

“It’s okay Tim…” Dick replies meekly as he tries to banish the memory of Damian out of his head.

The first Robin was a sore spot for all of them, none more so than then Dick, even simply mentioning his name could bring Dick to tears.

Jason sighs sadly. ' _Look, Tim, just promise not to kill anyone okay?’_

 _‘They have Robin, Jason! He’s your, mine,_ **_our_ ** _brother! They hurt, beat and assaulted him and had the nerve to televise it like it was some kind of goddamn game show! Making us watch helplessly while they abused him. And you want those fuckers to_ **_live_ ** _?!”_ Tim growls, and there’s a pause waiting for Jason’s reply and scoffs when he didn’t get one. _‘Yeah, I didn’t think so.’_

His two brothers continue to argue ferociously in the comlink while Dick tries to cry again. He’s Robin, after all, Robin doesn’t cry. However, it’s all getting to be too much. He wants out of here, he wants to stop hurting, he wants that beeping to stop, he wants Bruce! He also wants Damian but he knows that’s not going to happen.

As if someone somewhere had heard his thoughts the door to the room suddenly swung open, Dick’s eyes widened as he watched who walked in, _"BATMAN!”_

“Robin!" Bruce calls as he rushes over to where Robin was and gently cups his face, caressing his cheeks with gloved hands, “I’m here Dick, I’m here, it’s going to be okay.”

Dick can’t help it anymore, seeing Bruce caused the dam burst. He wailed and cried, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Vaguely he’s aware of both Tim and Jason who were asking if it was Bruce or what was happening. Batman was probably on the League line meaning he wouldn’t have been able to hear any of his kids' conversations unless he switched stations.

“B, B I’m scared.” Dick whispers leaning into Bruce’s hand, “I don’t understand what’s happening,”

It took him a few more seconds to notice that there were also others that were here. Catwoman, Lex Luthor and some kind of monster looking human which somewhat reminded him of Superman.

 _‘I’m going to massacre Owlman and his little group,’_ Tim mutters furiously, _‘and not even the Justice League will stop me, not that I’m sure I’ll come up against much resistance.’_

“It’s okay Dickie, no need to be scared.” Bruce reassures using his thumbs to wipe Robin’s eyes, “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there before but now I am, nothing is going to hurt you again.”

Dick sniffed, eyes still watering slightly, “Promise?”

“I promise, Dick.”

Somewhere in the back of Dick’s mind, he wonders why Bruce keeps calling him Dick instead of Robin, especially around Lex Luthor of all people. Catwoman he can understand, she’s known his secret identity from day one, but Luthor, really? There was also the Superman guy, well it wasn’t like Dick knew what else to call him since it seems that no one was going to be doing any introductions so he’d just ask Bruce about it later when all of this was over.

He nods, Batman was here now, and his brothers were on their way as well. Dick sniffles and tries to control his tears. He is safe, Bruce had promised not to let anything else hurt him and is comforting him, everything is going to be okay.

Their sweet, comforting, tender moment, however, is interrupted by a loud fake cough behind them. Bruce pulls his head back and moved one of his hands so that he was calmly stroking Dick's hair instead.

“Luthor,” Bruce growls back, once again in Batman mode.

“You do know what that machine is, don’t you?” Lex states with an eyebrow raised.

Batman snarls pulling back but still keeping one hand on Dick’s hair which the current Boy Wonder greatly appreciates.

After he gets out of the machine thing, this room and the heck away from Owlman and the others, Dick was going to spend the next week drinking Alfred’s hot chocolate, eating cookies all the while wrapped in the biggest and softest blanket the Manor has to offer. He’ll go and steal some of Damian’s old clothes. He might even slip into Bruce’s bed again, cuddling up to the man for comfort when the nightmares become too much.

“Robin, do you know what that is?” Luthor asks dragging Dick’s attention from his father, who lets out another growl.

_“Don’t.”_

Lex ignores whatever Bruce was trying to get him to stop saying and waves a hand dismissively, “That is a bomb you are strapped to-“

 _“Luthor! Stop. It. Now.”_ Batman snarls but it was already too late Dick had already heard.

“I-I-I’m attached to a bomb?!” Dick panics and thrashes his head around, “I’m attached to a bomb again, Bruce!”

_‘YOU ARE STRAPPED TO WHAT?’_

_’No…’_

“Again?” Selina comments, interrupting Dick’s panic as she calmly walks to where Dick was trapped. “When have you been strapped to a bomb before, my little Robin?”

Dick blinks, calming slightly. Bruce grunts taking the hint, as Catwoman approaches, removing his hand from Dick’s hair who whines at the loss. However, it’s quickly replaced by Selina’s warm and soft hands on his cheeks, similar to how Bruce had been cradling his face earlier.

Meanwhile, Batman retreated further down the steps though not too far from Dick as he starts typing someone into his hollow glove.

She notices where Dick’s attention is and distracts him by caressing his cheeks causing Dick to blink up at her questioningly, although she knows that he secretly enjoys others touches, contact has always helped calmed him.

Even when he first came to the Manor, a little runt of a thing (not that he’s much better bigger now, but he’s healthier, happier, thanks to Bruce, Alfred, and the boys), he repetitively found comfort and reassurance in touch. Whether it be sneaking into Bruce’s bed after a nightmare, hugging Jason spontaneously, taking naps on Tim whenever he’s around or simply just touching Damian then he would feel better, less alone and wanted.

“You never answered my question, little one,” Selina says sweetly, smiling at him in a way that reminds Dick of his late mother.

“Well, I, um, it’s a long story.” Dick frowns slightly remembering the event. It had been a while ago and Damian had been furious at the news, refusing to let Dick patrol with Bruce for over a month, claiming that before he can, his father needed to prove that he can protect Dick up to and beyond Damian’s standards. “But Batman got me out so it was all okay in the end.”

He’d been so scared, so scared and alone while the Joker had gone MIA leaving Dick attached to a bomb. Robin doesn’t even remember how he ended up in that situation but Batman had swooped in and saved him.

It’s just like last time, and Batman is here now so everything is going to be alright.

 _‘Why didn’t I know about this other time?_ ’ Tim demands. Dick had been so caught up in his thoughts that he’d forgotten that the two of them were there.

 _‘Hey, I didn’t know either!_ ’ Jason adds. _‘When we get you home Robin, Batman is going to have some explaining to do,’_

 _‘That’s if he lives that long,’_ Tim mutters angrily in the background. It’s an empty threat and they all know it.

Catwoman laughs gently, gaining Robin’s wondering attention once more from a frowning Luthor and a growling Batman. ”Oh, yes Batman always comes to save the day doesn’t he, Robin? I’ve got a few stories of my own about when the bat saved the cat. I don’t really like remembering them however, I think I’ll make an exception for you.” She says stroking Dick’s hair like Bruce had before, settling Dick down again. He nods, intrigued. He always loves listening to the others stories, especially ones that involve his family. “Good, I’ll tell you while B-man over there figures out how to get you free.”

“Well, the first time was a long time ago, before you were even born and-“ Selina starts her story gaining Robin’s complete, curious and undivided attention.

Even Tim and Jason are quiet, though Dick’s not quite sure if that’s a good thing, or if they’re simply listening to Selina like he is.

* * *

Batman continues to glare at Luthor who seems to be taking much amusement out the situation where his son is strapped to a goddamn bomb!

If he didn’t need the man, Bruce would have beat the shit (sorry Alfred) out of him already, green armored suit be damned.

He was already struggling to contain himself after Lex ignored him and told Dick that what he strapped against making causing the already panicked boy to become near hysterical and while he wanted more than anything to be up there comforting his son, he also needed to get away to look up the design and technical side of the bomb so that he can get Robin out. He also doesn’t want to destress Dick any further since he knew that getting him out of there wasn’t going to be an easy task.  

Fortunately for them due to the angle, they’d put him at Dick hadn’t been able to see timer counting down and next to that-

“You do know what type of bomb that is right?” Luthor says drawly as he glances over at Batman’s holographic schematics of the bomb that Robin was currently stuck in

“Yes,” Batman grunts back, really not in the mood to deal with the man right now, but as previously stated he might need Luthor and his brains later on so acting out on his emotions, never mind how raw and strong they are, was not a good idea.

“You realize that it’s attached to his heart,” Luthor says nonchalantly, eyebrows raised as if questioning Batman’s intelligence while at the same time almost mocking the situation. Seriously the man was testing Batman’s self-restraint.

He doesn’t bother to even give a reply other than a grunt as he continues looking at the at the hologram and growls in frustration as it seems that every idea he has leads to a dead end, or worse...

“So you realize that the only way to stop it is to stop Robin’s heart.”

“No,” Bruce states viciously. “There has to be another way, I’ve just got to find it.”

Luthor sighs, “Batman, think logically here. It’s the child attached to a bomb that will only cease if his heart stops. Even if there was another way, which I highly doubt, then we definitely do not have enough time to try it. I’m not risking my life over this and your life is more important than the boy’s-“

Bruce’s expression darkens instantly upon hearing the word, though this time he’s unable to control himself as he grabs and slams Luthor into the nearest wall.

“Batman?” Dick’s voice calls, it’s a mixture of distress and concern and Bruce doesn’t need to look to know that his son is looking at him worriedly. The boy was too good for this world, while strapped to a bomb, he’s more concerned over Bruce then the explosive that he’s attached to, however, while he might be too good for this world it doesn’t mean that he’s going to let Lex Luthor or anyone take him away from it. They’d have to walk over Bruce Wayne’s cold dead body before they could even have a shot at Dick.

Bizarro growls like he was ready to fight as well, the Superman clone had previously been enthralled in Catwoman’s tales, she’s exaggerating and substituted words for Dick’s sake. But the stories also spike Luthor’s creation interests as well, up until the point where Batman had Lex pinned to the wall. And while Bruce was ready for a good fight, the need to release his anger, stress, and frustration, it wouldn’t do Dick or the situation any good, the timer was still ticking and Robin was still stuck there was no room for fighting.

All that emotional rage would all have to wait, no matter how much he wants to take it out on Lex Luthor and his smart mouth, first he’ll free Dick, make sure he’s safe and then he’s going after Owlman and Crime Syndicate. They weren’t getting away with what they’ve done, especially to his son. The evil alternate bastards even had the nerve to televise it. Bruce isn’t quite sure of the extent damage they had done to the boy but he’d seen the footage, how Ultraman kicked Robin ribs when the boy was already unconscious on the floor, or how Superwoman had nearly strangled him with her rope making him beg for them stop.

_They were going to pay._

He’d promised himself after the last time with the Joker that he wasn’t going to let anything like this happen to Dick again.

Then there was Damian, oh god, Damian, probably would try and break every bone in his body, making good on his previous promise that if Batman ever lets something like that happen to Robin again.

Though the worst part of Damian’s threat hadn’t been the physical pain, nor the fact that it had come from his own son because Damian had said things like that before, and had even tried to act on them. No, the worse bit had been where he warned him that if Batman or even Bruce Wayne ever slipped up again, he’d take Dick away from him. _“If you don’t do better and Grayson is even near a situation like that again, I will take him, I’ll take him and you’ll never get him back. I gave up my Robin to you thinking that it was for the best, however, you are starting to prove to me otherwise, this is your last chance father, you will not get another one.”_

Bruce had been petrified, he didn’t want to lose Dick, and so he’d reacted, lashed out at Damian, which hadn’t helped his relationship with either Dick or Damian but he didn’t want to lose another son. His and Damian relationship was bad and strained and that was on a good day, then with Tim, well where did he even begin? He’d literally lost him to the Joker horrifically all them years ago. Jason while he seems okay, spends more time with his friends now than at the Manor, he was out there making a name and life for himself, no longer needing Bruce or Batman. Dick though, Dick was still so young, full of life innocence and good, he was a bright spark that brought Bruce out of some of his darkest moments and thoughts and both Bruce and Batman wanted to protect, nurture and keep him as close for a long as possible.

However, sometimes, especially now, watching Dick in a situation like this, made him he wished that his eldest had taken Dick away that day. Taken Robin somewhere he could be better protect and was safe.

Maybe then things wouldn’t have turned out like they did…

“He’s okay honey, it’s just him and Luthor are just disagreeing about something, nothing to worry about,” Selina says reassuringly, once again trying to distract Dick who is staring at him, eyes wet and wide, looking on the verge of another breakdown and Bruce’s heart breaks for the boy.

Selina has to literally force Dick’s attention back on her, but not before she looks over and sends him a glare, which Bruce know means that he’s going to be in trouble later.

“Where was I? The rowdy men over there made me lose track.” She says gently rubbing the tears that were treated to fall again from Robin’s eyes, hands still on his face keeping Dick’s attention firmly on her.

 _“You ever suggest something like that again and I will make you regret it.”_ Bruce snarls threateningly as he lets his grip on Luthor drop. The man simply gives him a look and shakes of his head disapprovingly but ultimately leaves him be as he continues looking for a way to get Dick out.

Occasionally he casts a glance over at the boy to see how he’s coping and while it’s not great, Selina seems to at least have him calm enough that he’s no longer crying or thrashing around, attention forcibly on her and not at the explosive he’s encased in.

He trusts Catwoman enough to comfort his son while he can’t.

He also has a feeling that Robin activated his coms unit before he and the others had even arrived and he hopes that his boys are comforting him as well. That, and that Red Hood hasn’t killed too many people in his rampage. The whole family seems to be as protective of Dick as both him and Damian had been and whenever Robin is injured or in danger the death rate increases due to Hood’s rage, something Bruce puts down to his son's resurrection from the Lazarus Pit.

Well, he can deal with all that later. Right now he needs to focus on finding an alternate method of Dick getting the hell out of there and soon.

They were running out of time.

* * *

 _‘You okay, Dickie?’_ Jason calls, reminding Dick once again that they are there listening to the entire thing including his crying and sobbing but regardless he finds it comforting to hear their voices, even though the person’s voice he wants to listen to most right now isn’t around anymore…

He can just imagine what Damian would say and do. He’d be shouting and growling much like Bruce was but he’d never leave Dick’s side.

 _‘Would_ you _be okay strapped to a bomb, Todd?’_ Tim shoots back, annoyance and anger filling his words, though Dick can’t pinpoint what exactly his older brother is most annoyed about.

“I-I’m okay.” He sniffles quietly in reply, though he’s not sure it’s entirely true and if the silence down the line is anything to go by then neither do they. His injuries hurt, the Crime Syndicate hadn’t gone easy on him, in fact, several times he had thought that they were going to kill him, and now, now he was strapped to a bomb! Selina was still talking to him, she’s most likely notice that he’d stopped paying attention to her stories but carried on anyway, babbling on about something or other, he was glad she hadn’t stopped talking though, her voice soothed him, it always had, again it had reminded him of his mother's voice when she used to tell him bedtime stories gently lulling him into sleep.

Tim hums disbelieving ‘ _You still want to go for ice-cream next week, baby bird?’_

 _‘Why the fuck are you asking about that for now?’_ Jason snaps, because out of all the things to talk about in _this_ situation ice-cream meetups were not one of them!

_‘First off, watch your language, Dickie can still hear you and you know how he likes to copy and pick up on the things that others say and do. Secondly, I’m asking because I want to make sure that Dick still wants to hang out after this ordeal is all over, not that just asking so I can get out of coming to the Manor or anything because I actually want to come to the Manor now. I have some very important questions that I need to ask B.’_

There seems to be a moment of silence as if they were having their own conversation before Jason pipes up again. _‘Oh, okay then brat, everything is going to be okay.’_

 _‘Don’t call him a brat, Replacement!’_ Tim scolds and Dick ponders what kind of face that his brother is pulling under that Red helmet that Tim favors.   

_‘Why not?’_

_‘Because he’s not a brat! You are!’_

_‘Am not!’_

_‘Are too!’_

Dick can’t help but let out a little, wet laugh, it wasn’t loud or vibrant like his usual cackle, but it was a laugh all the same. He couldn’t help it, with Tim and Jason arguing it just reminded him of being back at the Manor, safe, peaceful and blissful. It surprised Selina if her shocked expression was anything to go by, though she got over it quickly and the shock melts into a small but genuine smile while it only seems to spur his brothers on to argue more, talking and ranting over petty things.

It was almost enough for him to forget where he was and what was happening.

_Almost_

Because of course, the peace couldn’t last.

Dick was shocked out of his semi-tranquil state by roaring, pained shout. However it isn’t just any shout, Dick knows that voice, knows it better then he knew his own.

He tears his face away from Selina grip, not that she was putting up much of a fight as her grip went slack as she was distracted by the scene behind her.

Dick’s eyes widen in shock as he watches his mentor, partner, and father fall to the floor with a loud thud, unconscious.

“BATMAN!”

 _‘What’s happening Dick?’_ Jason asks, his voice once again gone back to being serious and worried, a complete one-eighty to how it was before moments ago. But, Dick doesn’t answer as he’s once again thrashing around trying to get out of this thing, ignoring the pain and stinging of his injuries.

“What the hell are you doing Luthor?!” Selina shouts as she marches down, whip at the ready, to where Lex was stood, green smoke pouring out of the blasters on his outstretched hands. However, before she gets a hit on the man, her whip is caught by Bizarro, wrapping the leather around his huge hands and tugging her towards him.

Luthor uses this to his advantage marching up to where Dick is.

Robin glares at the man, _this monster_ , in front of him.

“I’m making an executive decision, Catwoman.”

“W-what are you doing?” Dick demands frightenedly. He’s trying to act like the man doesn’t intimidate or scare the hell out of him, even when he’s doing his day job, it’s not really working.

“Saving us all.” Lex states as he types something into his own hollow glove, kind of like the one Batman has.

“Luthor, don’t you dare!” Selina shouts, but she’s unable to help as she’s currently restrained by the Superman clone.

 _‘If that bastard does so much as touches you, he’s dead.’_ Tim growls in his ear, and while he knows it’s wrong, Dick kind of hopes that he’ll follow through with it.

“I don’t understand…” Dick says, confused and unsure of what he meant. Was there something he was missing?

Lex sighs as if he was explaining something simple to a child, which to be fair he was but Dick didn’t like to think of himself as a child. He was Robin, the Boy Wonder, Batman’s partner and he deserves more respect than a resigned scoff. “Now Robin, as I said before that is a bomb that you're attached to, but what Batman refused to let me tell you was that it’s connected to your heart-”

“M-my heart?” Robin stutters, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes again, visibly shaking in a mixture panic and distraught.

“- yes and what you can’t see is there is also a timer,” The man explains which doesn’t explain to Dick why he took out Batman, especially if Batman was trying to find a way to stop the bomb without it exploding!

Though almost as if he’d read Robin’s mind Luthor continues, “But it’s running out and Batman, the determined fool, wasn’t going to stop until he found an alternative method, alas getting us all killed in the process.”

_‘Fuck, fuck, fuck…’_

“I’m doing what Batman won’t, _ending this_.”

“No!” Selina shouts, thrashing around in other’s grip and Dick doesn’t think so highly of the Superman costume wearing dude anymore.

“Selina?” Dick calls out scared, he understands that Lex is going to stop the bomb but he’s still attached!

“Robin, sweety, the bomb is attached to your heart, the only way to stop it detaining is to… is to stop your heart.” Selina sighs sadly, looking at him with a combination of sympathy and regret.

It takes a couple of seconds for him to process the information but when he does, he can’t stop the tears from pouring out.

He understands it all now.

Lex needs to stop the bomb to save everyone and the only way to do so is by stopping Robin’s heart.

Meaning he has to die.

Dick doesn’t want to die.

“Now Robin, don’t you want to save everyone?” Lex says, trying to guilt trip him. “You don’t want Batman to die and have it be all your fault, do you?”

It worked.

“No! No, I but-“

 _‘Dick! Don’t do anything we’re almost here,’_ Jason calls but Dick no longer wants them to come, this is dangerous! They could get killed as well and he’s already lost Damian he doesn’t want to lose another brother, not again. No! No! _No!_

“Then you just need to let me do this.”

“No!” He calls out as Luthor grabs his chin.

“Lex don't!” Selina cries, struggling in clones grip but the latter doesn’t let up. “He’s just a kid.”

“A kid who is going to lead us to our deaths.”

“Batman will kill you if you do!” She calls, trying desperately to stop the man but he isn’t fazed in the slightest by the threat.

“Batman doesn’t kill,” He replies nonchalantly as he returns his attention to the tapped Robin, holding up his free hand near Dick’s face. “I’m sorry, Richard.”

“NO!” Dick cries as he furiously thrashes against Luthor’s grip on his chin but it doesn’t bother the man who forces open his mouth and shoves a bright pink pill down as far as it will go. “PLEASE NO, STO-“ He begs, trying to spit it back out but his mouth is forced shut and a new pressure on his throat forces him to swallow. The drug takes effect quickly and in seconds Dick’s world starts turning black. Vaguely he hears Selina’s sobs and shouts while his brothers cry in his ear.

_‘ROBIN?!’_

_‘DICK?!’_

He hates having to leave his family, especially like this, when he knows there is no coming back, there is absolutely nothing he could do, though maybe this wasn’t totally a bad thing, especially if he got to see Damian again…

* * *

“-ick!”

A loud noise started to rouse the current Robin to consciousness, which annoyed him a little because in his dream he’d been with his parents, which was how he knew it was a dream because they were dead and no matter how hard he wished nothing was going to bring them back.

Damian had also been there.

He had hugged his brother for so long and so hard wishing to never let go as Damien comforted him and held him tight. It was wonderful but so bittersweet because he since he knew it was all a dream once he woke up things would be back to the way they were before. While he had eventually got over the death of his parents (but he would never forget them and they always have a special place in his heart) and had made a new family with Bruce and his flock, he never did quite recover from Damian’s death and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, since he missed the older boy so much his heart hurt.

Part of him wants to stay, stay in this dream, stay with Damian and his parents where it was safe and peaceful…

However, that didn’t seem to be an option as the noise sounded again, this time a little clearer. It was someone voice! He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he could hear their distress and sadness.

And was someone shaking him?

“Dick!”

Wait, he knows that voice!

And that is his name!

Someone is calling his name!

“Dick come on please,” The voice begs this time and Dick wondered why they were begging. He couldn’t remember exactly what had happened, not yet, his mind was still too foggy and disoriented to figure it out. It was the same voice as before the one that was distressed is now desperate and begging.

Were they begging for him?

Why would anyone be begging for him?

Also, why did he hurt so much?

“Come on Dickie, please, please wake up, I swear I’ll never make fun of you again,” Again he knew that voice, but who? “Come on Dickie, I don’t want to lose another brother…”

Jason! It was Jason’s voice!

But what was Jason doing here? There was part of his mind that filled with dread at the idea of Jason being here, wherever here was… He isn't sure about that yet but what he did know is that Jason being here is really bad, he didn’t want Jason to be here! Jason needs to get the hell away from here and fast, he needs to leave Dick and escape while he has the chance!

It took him a second to realize that he was laying on someone, someone warm and cozy who has their arms wrapped tightly around him. His first thought had been Jason but then the direction of his voice didn’t match up with the person holding him, so it had to be someone else.

Okay, so he needs to get a grip on his surroundings and figure out what is going on, that and to remember what the heck had happened leading up to this! But Jason is here and he was sounding worried and desperate for him to wake up and Dick never wants to hears it again, especially since it reminds him of how he sounded when he saw Damian’s body and he-

“Ugh,“ He moans out as his eyes finally fluttered open. The room wasn’t particularly bright, from the glance he got the room was dull and dingy but still it was huge contrast compared to the blackness before, so much so that his eyes shut almost instantly, he swears it almost blinded him!

Everything hurt, it was like he’d been beaten up by Joker and Two-face at the same time and then been pushed off a roof and left in the hands of Deathstroke for some ‘fun’.

“Dick!” Jason shouts in hopeful glee.

After a couple more attempts, Dick finally manages to open his eyes fully. Jason was right in front of him knelt down on the grotty, dirty floor and Dick wanted to make a snarky comment about him getting his uniform mucky but it doesn’t seem that his mouth wants to cooperate and the look of delight that he gets from his brother is enough to stop him from even trying.

“Dick, Dickie, you’re okay.”

“Ow…” He mutters, he wants to say more, he has too many questions and literally no answers but his mouth still is rebelling and the pain only worsening as he got more lucid and coherent.

He tries to sit up but, the arms that are holding him stop him from moving any further, reminding him that he was trapped against whoever was hiding him.

“Hey, easy there kiddo,” Bruce says soothingly and Dick perks up upon hearing his guardians and mentor’s voice, so that’s who he’s lying on! He tilts his head upwards to see Batman staring down at him, to be honest, Bruce didn’t look much better than he was feeling himself.

“Oh thank god,” Another new voice, Dick recognize it immediately as Tim, he glanced over to the location of his brother's voice to see him stood there in full gear with a gun at trained on Lex Luthor’s head.

“See everything turned out fine,” Lex says nonchalantly, almost as if the infamous Red Hood didn’t have a gun pointed at point blank range on his forehead.

Dick feels chills throughout his body as the man speaks, then when multi-billionaires eye’s land on him, Dick’s mind starts screaming and begging for him to get as far away from that man as possible, and while he knew that Bruce had warned against going near the man before Dick had never outright feared him like he did now, what had happened?! Bruce must have noticed that something was wrong because he tightens his arms around Dick, making sure that Robin got his silent message that he was safe in his arms.

“Shut the fuck up,” Tim hisses, and it looks like something Lex had done has rattled his older brother.

“Hood, don’t,” Bruce calls out weakly, almost as if he was in pain as well. What the heck had happened while he was out?!

“He killed Dick!” Um, no Tim, he isn’t dead, he was right here!

“I also saved us all, if you recall. I think all of this pedantic is completely unnecessary.” Lex shoots back and Dick really needs to either remember what happened or have someone tell him because he’s way too confused to understand what any of this is about.

“Pedantic?! You call killing my brother pedantic! You-“ Again Tim, he isn’t dead he’s right here!

 _“Tim!”_ Bruce growls. It’s strange to hear him use their actual name, especially when in costume and they're not in the Manor, Penthouse or Cave.

“If I remember rightly he also muttered about him not being less important than everyone else when he’s the most important person in the goddamn universe!” Jason shouts angrily

“Jason, you’re not helping.” Selina cuts in and damn, Dick hadn’t noticed her, or the zombie looking Superman who she is restraining in the corner with what looks like a blue version kryptonite, wow he didn’t even know there was such a thing.

A voice in the back of his mind scolded him for not noticing the others sooner and that he needed more awareness training but ultimately he lets himself off lightly because he has bigger concerns at the moment.

Nothing was making any sense!

Suddenly, just as he’d thought that his brain finally decided to catch up on the situation and he started remembering.

The Crime Syndicate had captured and beat him, then he woke up this a room and-

* * *

_‘Robin? Goddamnit! Answer us, you little shit!’_

_‘Baby bird?! You there?’_

_That was Jason and Tim! They’re calling for him!_

* * *

_His eyes widened as he watched who walked in, “BATMAN!”_

_“Robin!” Bruce calls as he rushes over to where he was and gently cups his face, caress his cheeks with gloved hands, “I’m here Dick, I’m here, it’s going to be okay”_

* * *

_“I’m sorry that I wasn’t there before but now I am, nothing is going to hurt you again.”_

_He sniffs, eyes watering, “Promise?”_

_“I promise, Dick.”_

* * *

_“That is a bomb you are strapped to-“_

_“I-I-I’m attached to a bomb?!” He panics thrashing around as much as he can “I'm attached to a bomb again, Bruce!”_

* * *

_‘Don’t call him a brat, Replacement!’ Tim scolds and he ponders what kind of face that his brother is pulling under that Red helmet that Tim favors._  

_‘Why not?’_

_‘Because he’s not a brat! You are!’_

_‘Am not!’_

_‘Are too!’_

_He can’t help but let out a laugh._

* * *

_“BATMAN!”_

* * *

_“What the hell are you doing, Luthor?!” Selina shouts as he panics, thrashing around again._

_Luthor uses this to his advantage marching up to where he is, he stops struggling for a second to look warily at the man in front of him, “I’m making an executive decision, Catwoman.”_

* * *

_‘If that bastard does so much as touch you, he’s dead.’ Tim growls in his ear._

* * *

_“Now Robin, as I said before, that is a bomb that you're attached to, but what Batman refused to let me tell you was that it’s connected to your heart-”_

_“M-my heart?”_

_“- yes, and while you can’t see there is also a timer,” Luthor continues. “But it’s running out and Batman, the determined fool wasn’t going to stop until he found an alternative method, alas getting us all killed in the process.”_

* * *

_“So I’m doing what Batman won’t, ending this.”_

* * *

_“Now Robin, don’t you want to save everyone? You don’t want Batman to die and it to be all your fault do you?”_

_“No! No, I don’t, but-“_

_Jason calls, says something, but it doesn’t matter, he no longer wants them to come, this is dangerous! They could get killed as well and he’s already lost Damian, he doesn’t want to lose another brother, not again. No! No! No!_

_“Then you just need to let me do this.”_

* * *

_“I’m sorry Richard,”_

* * *

_“PLEASE NO, STO-“_

_And then his world faded to black._

* * *

Oh

Oh

_Oh_

So he had died.

Tim had been right.

Wow.

Dick doesn’t know what he wants to do, feel or say, especially now that he remembers everything. It all makes sense, everything from his pain and Jason calling him, to Tim threatening Luthor. So instead he just lies there. Despite the pain, he feels surprisingly numb. He wants to cry, he wants a hug, he wants to get the hell away from Luthor and this place, he wants to do all of it but he just _can’t._

Shock, maybe he’s in shock.

Was this how Tim felt when he came back from the dead? He’d died, right? That’s what Tim had said that Lex Luthor had killed him, plus Dick’s last conscious memory had been of the man telling him he had to die so everyone else would live before shoving a pill down his throat.

Somehow he was alive, he didn’t know how or what had happened but _god_ , he was alive!

There seemed to have been a whole conversation that he’d missed out on while he was having his montage of flashbacks because Tim had sheathed his guns and now next to Jason knelt in front of him as well.

“You okay, baby bird?” Tim calls gently, reaching out and stroking his cheek.

“I-I-“ Dick tries but his voice still doesn’t want to work however Tim’s touch seemed to have jerked him out of his shocked state and then the tears start to fall once again, quickly and relentlessly as he lets out a loud and pain whimper. No one says anything not even Luthor or the clone who just stands there in silence, letting him cry and wail, letting it all out while in Bruce’s arms.

It takes him a few minutes to gain back some composers and stop the tears from falling, with all the crying he’d done lately it was a surprise that he had any left!

Tim caressed his cheek, wiping away the remaining tears while Jason pulled faces behind the older’s back in an attempt to make Dick laugh again.

He couldn’t laugh, not at the moment, it was still too much… Plus it would probably hurt even more if he did, he knew that crying had only made the pain increase. However, he did feel his lip twitch upwards. His brothers always knew how to make him better, even in his darkest moments.

“C-Can we go home now?” He stutters, he wanted nothing more at the moment to get the hell away from this place. He wants to go home, back to the Manor where there are was Alfred, Ace, and cookies, where psychotics won’t kidnap him, beat him, and attach him to a bomb.

He needed rest, his bed (or Bruce’s), a warm hug. He wanted some comfort and to cry all over again.

Robin might be out of action for a little while, not that the public will blame him, as it seems everyone and their mother had seen what the Crime Syndicate had done to him.

“Sure thing, buddy,” Jason says with a grin, it was forced Dick could tell but still it was better than having to see him begging and desperate like before.

Tim and Jason look over Dick’s head, both boy’s sharing looks and a conversation with Bruce, who lets out a grunt of approval before Tim leans forward and gently as possible scoops his little brother up and into his arms as Jason goes over and helps Bruce to stand.

Dick tries his hardest to stay awake because he doesn’t want to sleep, he remembers the last time, and he thinks that maybe this time he won’t wake up again. However, his body is against him, he’s physically, emotionally and physiologically exhausted, and none of his family tries to keep or shake him awake when his eyelids drift closed, so maybe it's okay and he accepts it, as he’s once again pulled back into the darkness, only this time he’s nestled safely against Tim’s chest.

* * *

Bruce has said there was someone on this building that he’s to see but refused to tell him who, which makes Dick curious but excited because Batman doesn’t like sending him out without giving him all the information possible, especially after the whole Crime Syndicate and bomb thing.

Speaking of the Crime Syndicate they had been dealt with by his family, Steph and Cass included, with a little help from the rest of the Justice League, while he’s slept safely back in the Manor after Alfred and Leslie had patched him up. Though apparently the alternate version of the League was not dealt with in the way Tim wanted if his muttering and sulking was anything to go by.

Physically, he’s recovered quickly, though he hadn’t been too impressed with the fact he’d been ordered consistent bed rest, which he hates for multiple reasons and has to have had multiple babysitters in the form of his family as they make sure that he stays put. A couple of times he managed to escape, accidentally ripping his stitched in the process but he hadn’t cared because anything was better than staying in bed!

But he was now fighting fit, able to go back out on the streets as Robin!

However, he’s not completely better, not mentally at least. He doesn’t sleep well, he doesn’t want to sleep! Every time he does all he sees is Luthor, that pill, and the ticking of the bomb attached to his heart. Every time that when he wakes up alone it feels like he’s back there again, when he woke up in that room, only this time, he fears that no one was going to come and find him. Or when someones pull the covers up it feels like he’s back there, trapped to the bomb again and it sends him mad trying to escape and free himself. He also gets flashbacks at the worse times, mainly when he’s alone because it seems his brain is against him now, and being alone means that there no one there to help. He screams silently because he feels the phantom hand of Lex’s hand over his mouth keeping him quiet as the pill made its way down his throat and…

His family didn’t need to know about all that though because then they’d keep him in there longer, keep him away from being Robin and make him go talk to someone, which was the complete opposite of what he wanted to do. Being Robin helped, well as long as no one touches him. If they did, he accidentally flipped out and Bruce ends gives him that look, a mixture of sympathy and worry which he hates, everyone has been giving it to him for weeks now and he’s fed up of it.

He’s Robin, he’s the Boy Wonder. He’ll manage, somehow, but he doubts that things will ever be the same again.

He flips onto the rooftop where Bruce had directed him to and squints as he sees a figure stood there-

No way!

No, no, it can’t be!

He’s dead.

Dick had seen him die with his own eyes.

It had been months.

But Dick had died and been brought back and so had Tim so why not him!

If this is him imagining this or someone’s idea of a sick joke he’s going to be furious!

“D-Damian?” He stutters, disbelieving as he takes a step forward

“Richard…” It really is him. His brother, his Batman, his Damian!

 _“Damian!”_ Dick shouts joyously as runs and jumps into his older brother’s arms who instantly wraps them around him, holding Dick tightly against him. “Damian, you’re alive!”

“Yes, I am.”

“I missed you so much!” Dick sobs, burying his face into Damian’s neck, clinging so tightly but with no intention of letting him go anytime soon.

“I missed you too, Richard.” Damian says stroking a hand down his back, “I’m not going to leave you again, I promise.”

Maybe things won’t be so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think? *inserts Jazz hands* 
> 
> I'm all for ideas and reviews, heck I'm even on Tumblr (because really, who isn't?) @thecraftycracker even if you just want to chat because as some certain people know I can chat about Batman and Dick Grayson (or other spontaneous rubbish for decades) 
> 
> But thanks for reading anyway! :D 
> 
> All of you have a great day! :D


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